Sometimes a Manic Hobgoblin gets the better of me. I live in a sweet, old house in central Austin built in 1952. I travel a few times each year. I have too many pets, and love each one more than the next.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Local Nonprofits I Love in 2018

Amplify Austin Day occurs March 1 - 2 this year. Amplify Austin Day is our city's annual community-wide day of online giving. The 24-hour period provides an easy and fun way for our entire community to give together while helping local nonprofits. Together we raised $9.8M for nearly 700 Central Texas nonprofits on Amplify Austin Day in 2017. Over the past five years, Amplify Austin has raised $35M for hundreds of local organizations.Chad and I support several nonprofits (local, national and global) with scheduled monthly gifts. Amplify Austin Day provides an opportunity to support many worthy causes. Here are the local nonprofits closest to our hearts.

1. Emancipet's mission is to make spay/neuter services and veterinary care affordable and accessible to all pet owners. Emancipet envisions a future where all pets are happy, healthy, and living with families whose lives they enrich.

2. Meals on Wheels Central Texas seeks to nourish and enrich the lives of the homebound and other people in need through programs that promote dignity and independent living.

3. Central Texas Food Bank is a leader in the fight against hunger for nearly 35 years, with the mission to nourish hungry people and lead the community in the fight against hunger.

4. SAFE stands for Stop Abuse For Everyone, and is a merger between Safe Place and Austin Children's Shelter. The SAFE Alliance's mission is to lead in ending sexual assault and exploitation, child abuse, and domestic violence through prevention, intervention, and advocacy for change.

5. Caritasof Austin believes that when every person has a stable place to call home, they can realize their full potential and contribute to our community. Caritas builds wellbeing by making sure that people have a safe home, access to healthy groceries, jobs that provide a reliable living wage, and educational opportunities to learn life skills.

6. KLRU is Austin's Public Broadcasting Service station. I grew up on shows like Sesame Street and The Electric Company. PBS programming taught me the alphabet, how to spell short words, colors and how to share before kindergarten. (I know, HBO bought Sesame Street, but only recently.) As an adult I enjoy BBC import shows and locally produced shows.

Whether you live in Austin or some other lovable place, find ways to support nonprofit organizations you believe in with your time, talents and/or money.